Tom Otterness is one of America’s most famous—and controversial—artists. His sculptures have been featured at the Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney, and the Guggenheim. Some of them can be found scattered throughout the 14th Street/8th Avenue subway station in a series called Life Underground. This 2006 work in Hell’s Kitchen, however, has a much different distinction: it doubles as a fully functioning children’s playground. Playground by Tom Otterness is a 30-foot-long bronze sculpture of an elongated figure lounging in a small park at the foot of the Silver Towers in…
